MBSS Site Summary for: KE-N-018-216-95


Located on MORGAN CR UT1 in the Middle Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130509.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/1995 and again in the summer on 8/16/1995.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,838 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 1.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 83.4 %
Forested Land Use 15 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.15
Conductivity 202 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		678.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Redbreast Sunfish 57
Bluegill 16
Creek Chubsucker 15
Eastern Mudminnow 15
Pumpkinseed 14
Tessellated Darter 8
Tadpole Madtom 6
Largemouth Bass 5
Brown Bullhead 2
American Eel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad

Crayfish:
Cambaridae

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 24
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 11
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 9
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 7
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 4
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Corixidae Water Boatman 3
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Paralauterborniella 2
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 2
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 2
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Planorbella 1
Sphaeromias 1
Belostoma 1
Hyalella Amphipod 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.